This is all the advice from fellow rowers/coxswains/coaches about various rowing…stuff. (My English teacher is going to murder me for saying that word.) Please, submit your advice! I love hearing anyone’s words of wisdom for rowing.

2ks:

bisweptual: Granted these are pretty basic and I can’t promise anything. Firstly, good form. Easy peasy. Then extend the layback at the release. Since you’re on the erg form doesn’t effect rowing and creates a longer stroke. Two, is weight lifting. Most people thing weight lifting isn’t good for rowers but Olympian Brad Lewis started weight lifting after he decided he couldn’t improve anything else because it was obvious that the more muscle the harder you can pull. Lastly is strategy. You have to watch you’re split as you row. Going out at a 1:56 (I am addressing you, a girl, so I believe this is fairly fast) will only leave you exhausted for the last 1600 meters. It’s a big mental game. The first 250 is the start of a race, start off fast and get ahead. Then settle into a split you can keep for the next 750. The last 1000 meters you do the same thing. Drop you split again for 750. It’s painful but you can easily drop your split two seconds for that distance if you gut it out. Last 250 is a sprint, which once you do that math, it’s only about 40 seconds which is only 14-20 strokes and it’s all that there.

proud2bestrong: How to lower a 2K time… that’s pretty hard to answer if we don’t know how you row, your training program, and your experience. There are so many factors!
My biggest advice would be to “know thyself” (and no, I’m not being cheeky!)
For example, pull a 2K and set the split interval to 100m. Then graph your 100m ave /500m splits & rate. Draw a line for your overall ave /500m split. You’ll see exactly where you were under, where you slipped up, etc. Then, plan for that. 

The only other thing is to row WELL. I don’t know you so I can’t comment on your technique, but there are usually quick technical changes that can help you row more efficiently. 

sarahslifegoeson: I say, set your goal. be 100% with your goal. live your goal. want it bad.
get your heart racing before you start. do a pretty nice little warm up.
first 500 = ridiculousness. i go about 10 seconds under. second 500 is 5 seconds under. 3rd 500 is trying not to die and not going over goal by too much. last 500 is throwing whatever you got left into it.

jeromegenova: To lower a 2k time, DO STEADY STATE. Steady state helps everything. You can never do too much steady state. Pump out like 10-25k a day at a heat rate of like 150-160 and you’re good.

Coxing:

keepcalmandbetotallyawesome: I’ve only ever coxed on ergs before, and I don’t want to sound all self-expertise-ish, but for me, you have to tailor your coxing to the rower. Everyone is different. Some are very open to coxing, and it’s generally pretty easy to cox them. Just tell them what to do. Others are definitely more stubborn. I have a few like that. They’re harder to cox, especially when they talk back. But you have to control your irritation (which can be hard to do sometimes) and just firmly remind them that you are in charge. But never forget to give them praise. That’s the best part. You have to be tough, yes, and be firm, but do not forget to praise them. Tell them they’re doing good, tell them they’re at a good time, steady rate, good form. So while you have to correct them, be nice too.

Erging:

shutyourfacexd: Sit up straight. Don’t hunch forward when you get to the catch.

Also, don’t let yourself have off strokes. Find a steady stroke rate and stay there. Relax, but push yourself.

Keep your hands level. While you are supposed to be simulating rowing, there’s no point in pushing your hands down on the recovery, as you’re not trying to keep your oar out of the water.

Food:

theavamovement: before: lunch that day is something high protein and a few carbs, power bar or luna bar.

unhomard: CHOCOLATE MILK RIGHT AFTER.

rowsbeforehoes: Well in the morning I eat fruit and a protein drink (not like a shake, they usually have them in the grocery store).

luisabellomy: nature’s valley granola bars!

jizzica-: Gatorade & Nutella! Our coaches recommend it!

commonannoyances: bread or shredded wheat cereal.

uglytshirt: chocolate milk, granola bar and banana with some kind…nut butter is a nice pre-practice (like a while before) or recovery snack, and coconut water is also an amazing recovery drink. at races we sometimes have corn muffins with nutella :)

heptasyllabic: before: banana, oatmeal. after: bagel, protein bar.

cupcakesaremyfavoritefoodgroup: As a rower I ate granola, bagel, breakfast bar, or nothing (usually before indoor) before practices. After, I go straight to school so sometimes the only thing I had time for was poptarts. But a good after practice would be banana and peanut butter, toast and peanut butter, or again, bagels. As a coxswain I have a breakfast bar or a little bit of cereal before practices and whatever I could pack afterwards. My favorite before and after race snack is peanut butter and banana or a bagel with peanut butter and banana.

fourthfrombow: Protein bars :D

pleonasticne: Just a light sandwich at least half an hour before and I can never drink milk or anything but water really. If I don’t I throw up.

sing-for-the-laughter: preworkout: bananas or a light snack (never any dairy)

sarahslifegoeson: bananas are my favorite pre-practice thing! post practice/race, my coach and team swear by chocolate milk.

themastersrace: I don’t generally eat unless I have an AM practice in which before I have a granola bar, after practice chocolate milk FTW

tatumrose: Chocolate milk after practices will help to heal torn muscle fibers (since muscle fibers always tear during exercise)

realathletesrow: before; carbs. something like a bagel (just a plain bagel, no cream cheese or anything cause it’ll sit in your stomach.)

yourunelectronblue: I rarely eat before practice, but I always eat carbs and protein after practice.

wardenclyfe: before: WATER before anything, fruit, fruit, fruit, oatmeal, granola bars. after: nuts (non-meat protein), vegetables, carbs.

sadnesstwistedinjealousy: I can never eat before practice. But chocolate milk is really good for you directly after any workout.

peaceableowl: I eat something with carbs in it before, like granola bars and something with protein after like cheese or yogurt.

bidefordphotography: I eat a lot of pasta the day before an intense training session or race. I eat eggs in the morning and never eat within 2 hours before training.

chocolacacia: 2 hours before practice: light snack like a granola bar; 30 mins before practice: carby snack; 2 hours before race: nutella, pita, fruit, nuts.

Clothing:

cupcakesaremyfavoritefoodgroup: For both rowers and coxswains, layers are our best friend, layers and spandex of any description. 

For rowers: thinner, easily removable layer. Also nothing baggy that can get stuck the slides or on boats, but you can always stuff sweatpants under your feet. Coxies sometimes apreciates extra jackets and sweatshirts to use as blankets though :) Lots and lots of socks. A few girls on my team even have waterproof ones. You can use extra socks to fit better into shoes if they’re too big. Rainboots. There will obviously be water, and for us, mud puddles. I don’t recommend crocs, even though tons of rowers wear them, because they get very slippery. 

Coxswains: Warm clothes. On a really cold day I wear long sleeved under armour, tshirt, sweatshirt (s), light jacket, and crew jacket, short spandex and leggings, sweatpants, kneehighs and wool socks, northface gloves, hat, boots, and sometimes scarf. However, for races, you still want to be as light as possible so pick your layers wisely. Wool socks are seriously an amazing invention though. 
Just in general, get as much spandex as you could possibly want. You will use it. Shorts, leggings, tees, long sleeves. 

If you have anything to add to any of these categories, or any other categories you can think of, please, message me! Just write the category (either one of these or a new one) and then your advice, and I’ll see if I can put it up here.